Come forth, descendant of Hannigan.
Two hearts shall unite and mend into one soul when thee Ninth month dies.
But all shall drown in sorrow, and the Moon will shine and burn.
At the darkest of Night, He shall lose Time and Time shall take Her.
In the morrow, her blood will flow and He shall leave, only to return again.
The Last Goodbye
He was alone. Sitting there in the darkness and waiting for someone who would never come again. It wasn't supposed to end like this, he wasn't supposed to fade away and she wasn't supposed burn.
Still, it happened.
Ponch tried to breathe, but even that seemed impossible without feeling his heart and soul ache painfully. She wouldn't come to him ever again. He would never see her feautures, hear her voice or experience her smile.
The sight of her green eyes, once filled of life, being empty and open. Her forehead and the bangs of the ginger hair were touched by scarlet blood. Her limp body being carried towards the waiting ambulance and he was left there, holding the helmet of hers that were cracked in the middle. His voice was lost, his memory blank and he lost track of his own time.
She was dead. Coralie O'Hannigan. His love.
Her luck finally ran out. What fair was it if she was dead? What did it matter if he lived? Did anything matter at all?
They had managed to arrest the criminal henchmen of Günther, one of the most wanted drug lords in LA. But the drug lord had recieved death instead for a lifetime of jail that he deserved. For the murders of many officers.
His last memory of Coralie. He recalled the scene to clearly. They had found Günther, it had been that old, abandoned factory in the downtown and it had seemed like luck was finally on their side. Getraer had worked all his life, chasing after the drug lord that was responsible for the death of his partner so many years ago. Driven almost mad of revenge.
The criminal gave into the abyss of insanity, laughing like an maniac and in the same moment they were going to arrest him, it exploded. Everything had happened in a quick pace, Ponch had alike his companions covered the eyes and found himself in an fiery inferno. The heat was unbearable, he coughed on the smoke and when he dared to open the eyes, he saw how Günther jumped into the fire of sheer will and burned.
He saw fire everywhere.
"GET OUT! WE MUST OUT!" roared Getraer at his officers, the situation had gone out of control and the enemy had burned. They ran and dragged out the criminals into the exit where the fresh air awaited them.
It was madness. Pure, frightening madness!
They fought for their lives. None of the A shifts or B shifts could've been prepared for this to happen. What was supposed to become a raid, an arrest in victory had turned to the worst thinkable scenario. Either they'll survive or they'll burn.
This was hell.
Ponch fought for all he had in his life. Fire and heat was all around, the criminal leader had abandoned his henchmen and chosen to face death instead. Said dazed henchmen they all dragged out. Smoke were in his lungs, making it harder to breathe and he tried his best to force down the prickling sensation in his eyes. He felt fear for his life and the lives of his companions.
Jon. Getraer. Baricza. Grossie. Bonnie. Sindy.
Coralie...
Getraer yelled instructions. "Stay together!"
"There's the exit! Hurry!" cried Baricza, who carried on two unconcious criminal mooks.
Everyone tried their best to reach the exit safely and Ponch could barely make out that Grossie said something about the factory might explode. Not something they needed right now. They were swaying between life and death.
Ponch felt the sweet sensation of fresh air in his lungs again, he let out a breath he never realized he were holding in. Several ambulances were here along with firefighter, who tried to put out the burning fire and the LAPD squad. He could make out if the familiar faces he knew from before.
Reed and Malloy from the LAPD. Gage and DeSoto from the paramedics. All good, old friends for either of them. All fought for saving lives.
The paramedics went straight to their procedure, making sure no one is dying. All of the police officer, CHP and LAPD did their best to help the people. Several other police officers he didn't recognized kept innocent bystanding away from the scene.
"We gotta evacuate! This fire won't get put out easily!" cried the firefighters, the water could never beat the dangerous fires on the factory. It was too fierce and almost out of control!
Getraer nodded as he got the message. "Policemen! Officers! Evacuate the area! Quick!"
"Sarge! There's still one left inside!"
Getraer turned around as if he were on fire and it was an understatement. "Who?!"
"Pryce! Güther's right hand! He must slipped away!"
Ponch didn't understand why Pryce would follow his master in death. It was insane! It was a death sentence to get inside that hell.
"I'll fetch him! He won't get away!" Coralie yelled and ran towards the building. Ponch widen his eyes and ran after her, only to grab her arm roughly just before she went back inside.
"Don't!" He yelled. "He's as good as dead now!" His heart pounded fiercly at the thought she was going inside. He couldn't lose her now. He couldn't! He feared the flames would take her faster than they could reach her.
Her green eyes stared back, desperation in them. "He may betrayed and killed my family. But no one deserves death! Kirk Pryce is still inside. I can't anyone die on my watch, not even criminals! Someone MUST do something!" Coralie yanked her arm away from Ponch's grasp and threw her helmet on the ground. "Mo ghrá!"
He saw when she ran inside the fires. It felt like everything went too fast, but in slow motion as well. He picked up her helmet and were just aboud to run after her. Dragging her back, kicking and screaming if he have to.
"Coralie!"
BOOM! Ponch didn't even took five steps before he were thrown backwards when fire and heat exploded. He lied on his back, Coralie's helmet crushed a few feet from himself and he saw the entire building of the factory burn. The exit were blocked with flames higher than his length.
He never heard himself scream. His sanity vanished. Jon and Getraer held him away from running to his love's rescueas he tried to fight back and yelled his fiance's name, tears finally escaping.
Hours late had felt like long minutes and Ponch lost the last remaining sanity when he saw her. Carried out by firefighters and then, how Roy and Johnny did their best to keep her alive. Coralie lied there, pale and limp. The blood ran from the top of her head and over the forehead. The moment he heard that they couldn't do more, Ponch lost himself.
It was over. Everything was over and faded into darkness.
It rained and suited his mood. Getraer stared through the window, he felt cold and helpless at once and what good did anything?
He had failed. There were no other way than Coralie was dead. A shot in the head, probably caused by her enstranged cousin to heartless murderer. The line of O'Hannigan was dead and he had failed to protect her. The only person he felt hope for.
The clouds were dark grey, almost black and the rain continued. He stood there a long time, dressed in black to show he was mourning. He never noticed when his wife came into the living room, her eyes looking at him in symphaty.
"Joe...you did all you could. Don't pine yourself like this."
Getraer didn't looked at her. "I let it happen. I saw Thomas die in my arms and now, his daughter is gone as well. O'Hannigan is dead and all that's left is memories. Useless photos, an empty locker and a man who will never heal."
Betty blinked away her tears. The young girl had been one of the greatest she ever met and she had become find of Coralie. Such a terrible fate happened to her. The child of her husband's best friend had been important for both of them. Now, her husband were drowning in guilt once more and the last time were when he arrived home from Ireland 22 years ago, forever changed.
"You speak of Frank. He loved her, more than anything worth in life." Betty tried to bring up Poncherello again and last night had been hard for even saying his name. To imagine that the poor young man who loved again, only to lose true love and forever become alone.
This time, he turned around to look at her. "He's forever changed now. I was never able to become myself again after Thomas' demise and now, Frank is in the same boat. The O'Hannigan line is dead along with that stupid family curse Tom was rambling about."
Betty thought this was the right time to bring up a subject that had waited since Coralie got out from the hospital two weeks ago. "The name O'Hannigan, yes. The blood line, no."
Getraer stared at her. He didn't wanted to talk about it yet. Poncherello was crushed, fading away along with the cheerful spirit he once had. He didn't said anything and settled down on an armchair, pondering over what led to this. His wife followed suit, knowing they must talk or so help her.
"The boy is alive. We were supposed to get through this. She told me that once she told Frank the truth-"
Getraer bristled. "No use the truth is now, is it?" He remarked coldly. "Frank is gone. Jon doesn't know where he is and has looked for Poncherello everywhere, only to return empty-handed. In the past week, the boy has lost his mother and the father left, without even knowing what happened."
"He will become okay. You only believe something's gone because you can't see it. Coralie would wanted her child to grow up happily, illegitimate or not."
Getraer sighed. "The boy will never know what his mother did. Alike her father, O'Hannigan will pass into legends." He didn't wanted to talk anymore and went inside the kitchen for a glass of red wine. His wife wasn't phased by his behavior. He was mourning and needed to be alone. Her eyes looked at a photo her husband always kept on the table by the couches.
That one was probably the photo she loved most. Her husband and the officers he cared for. Baker, Poncherello, Baricza, Grossman...it was all of them. A group of police officers acting like one family. Frank were in the center, his arms wrapped around the waist of O'Hannigan. The very first photo she finally smiled. That night hadn't just been their yearly Christmas party.
It was the night Frank and Coralie got engaged. She felt grief for the alone officer now. Before the couple even got romantically involved, Coralie tended to think lowly about herself and wondered who would cry tears once she died since she had no alive family.
'You might not had your blood family alive, Coralie. But I cry for you and if things were different, I would loved you as a daughter.' Betty thought while she sat there alone and saw how her grieving husband suffered in silence for not being able to stop the inevitable.
She would never met Joe if it wasn't for her sister Philomena who fell in love with his best friend.
Jon didn't showed up at the Central until a week passed. He woke up one day by finding the apartment empty, all Ponch's things were gone as if he never existed. It broke him by knowing Ponch left just as sudden like when they met.
All that was left was a single photo on the kitchen table, which Jon turned to the backside and saw a message.
Jon. I'm so sorry things ends like this and I would given the world to be with you forever.
But I can't. I'm hurting, worse than anything. I can't stand it any longer. I'm asking you as friend and as the big brother you have always been for me; please, let me go. I can't bear this any longer.
I think...I need to heal for myself and I have no idea when I'll be back. Don't think I abandon you, I would never. See this as some vacation from me...somehow. You could remember everything we did. The good, the bad and how lucky I truly was.
Perhaps we'll see each other again one day, partner (and hopefully not when I'm flat on my back).
Your friend Ponch
He was gone. Maybe for good. Maybe not. Jon didn't know when he would ever see his dearest friend again. Coralie's death had taken Ponch hard and all he could do was to hope something would become better. Jon understood why Ponch left. He needed to heal and perhaps it was best to let him be and heal from the tragedy in his own way. Maybe Ponch was visiting his family in Chicago, trying to clear his head?
Jon had been married to his Sandy for an entire year now and had their twins, James and Jennifer. Ponch had been there for them, with his usual smile. But it was when Coralie was alive, before everything changed.
For the first time in a long time, Jon didn't knew what to do anymore. He was lost. Drowning in a sea of doubt, fear and helplessness. Coming home from the work everyday, only to meet up with his faithful wife and lovely children soothed his heart for the moment. It wasn't until three weeks after the incident he recieved a letter from the hospital.
Coralie wasn't dead. But...the doctors thought it would be better being dead for now, as she was in a coma. The bullet in her head hadn't killed her, which was a big miracle and blessing. But she was unconcious and haven't showed a sign for improvements. As she was unfit to care for her hild, who were born out of wedlock and Ponch were gone as a memory, Jon made the decision that would change his fate once again.
"I'll care for the child." He had told the lawyer at the city hall. "I'm happily married with two children and the mother was one of my best friends. In her place, I will care for him and raise him as my own."
And so he did. He remembered that Coralie had told him what name she had thought of. The night the baby had been born, she had told him just before she went off to sleep out if exhaustion.
"His name is Ramiro." She whispered with eyes closed and a small smile. "Ramiro Jonathan Llewellyn."
While Jon had personally liked the two first names, it was the third name that pined him. Appearently, it was tradition in her family for the firstborn to wear one same middle name as the parent of same gender. Unfortunately, Jon wished it could been something else than "Llewellyn" since Ponch personally hated that name. But he was sure that things would turn alright somehow, he thought as he looked at the wide awake boy in his arms. Ramiro was so alike his birth father, it was actually scary. But he had his mother's eyes, bright green.
It was time for a new whapter in their lives to begin and this time, it'll be the story of a highly unusual and special boy named Ramiro.
Author's Notes: The third and last part in my oneshot trilogy and this one was long with a big reason.
Coralie seemingly "dies". This is the major explaination of the reason Ponch left and didn't turned up for 15 years, which leads us to CHiPs '99. I will post a novelization, but it will become "extended". Too much questions must be answered and we must know what will become of Ramiro. And of course, Jon's own children. ^^
Another trivia fact: Yes, Coralie's is related to Getraer through marriages. Getraer's wife, Betty (short for Beatrice), is Coralie's maternal aunt, the youngest of three sisters. Coralie doesn't know and have never known this. So, basically Ponch would turned to Getraer to ask Coralie's hand in marriage because the family traditions says of the father's dead before then, the next of kin decides and since Coralie's oldest aunt's husband is still in Ireland and doesn't care much, the responsibility goes to Getraer.
Some more needless fact:
Both of James Thomas Baker and Jennifer Magnolia Baker, twins and first children of Jon and Sandy Baker, are born April 6th, three minutes apart.
Later, they get their youngest sister Sally Marlene Baker, born February 15th five years later.
Ramiro Jonathan Llewellyn Aritza (A created surname that means "oak") is born October 7th the same year as James and Jennifer Baker.
So, by CHiPs '99, all of James, Jennifer and Ramiro is around 15 years old while Sally is 11. And I checked some CHiPs fact and turns out that Frank Jr (Ponch's son) is around 12 year old.
~ Loopin' Lunan95